IN BETWEEN - Part 3

In a quest for the things that will actually matter once school is done and we are trying to figure out what to do next - something to pour ourselves into that will make a difference somewhere. Here are my last three in a list of nine things that we can do to keep our skills sharp and to continue to stay relevant in our respective fields:

7. Continually go back to the stuff learned to keep it fresh. 

We learn a lot of stuff in school and sometimes it feels like drinking from a fire hydrant. But there are some things we come across that resonate with our interests, passions, and abilities. Go back to those things. You know you took better notes in those classes than any others. 

Reread your notes. Relisten... (so I was not an English major) to those lectures. 

Do whatever you need to in order to keep the most important things fresh in your mind.  

8. Establish milestones for personal progress. 

Every good CEO, manager, leader of some kind, has a way of measuring progress. Track who you have coffee with, travel to a region where the language you are learning is spoken. Find ways to gauge your progress.

I know a guy who wanted to read more so he set a goal to read one book a week for a year. In his first year doing this he did not read 52 books but he did read 41 and that was way more than the previous year. He set that goal fifteen years ago and in the succeeding years he has taken up that goal he has met or exceeded the goal.

9. Don't lose sight of those who are helping and supporting you through this. 

Be intentional about face time with family friends who are giving you a break on rent or paying for your car insurance or phone bill. Maybe it is your parents or a family friend; be sure they know you appreciate what they are doing for you.

That is all for now. For a look at the first three in our list click here; and for four through six click here. Good luck, and 

Just a Meandering Thought...

DANCE

The air sings with the sound of water droplets breaking through into this world.
The ground chants to the rhythm of rains that pound earthen drums.
The darkened sky and deepening clouds shield dampening air from equatorial sun.

Louder it grows as heavy skies open up,
like waves ever crashing and never receding,
like weights falling and crushing the ground.

The sun is gone,
The mountains vanish,
and the puddles dance...

Change

Taking a look outside today it is easy to see the change of the seasons. This really is my favorite time of year. The trees are gushing with color. It seems as if the colors drip off the trees and lie in puddles on the ground just beneath these fountains of golden hues. There is a slight nip in the air and at just the right time you can step outside and smell the smoke from the chimneys.

The ancient Celts believed that this was a magical time of year when the border between this world and the next was at its thinnest. They believed that at certain times and in certain places the two worlds would overlap. They believed it was possible to pass from this world to the next in these places of overlap. Our present day celebration of Halloween has its roots in this belief event hough the holiday is nothing of what it was in the prehistory of the British Isles.

So this time of year is filled with all kinds of magical changes. The leaves are brightening, the temperature is dropping, the sweaters are coming out, there is an occasional frost on the ground. This is the kind of change that I enjoy. However not all changes are so pleasant. In fact for most of us change is very unpleasant and sometimes even painful. It has been said that all change is loss. When something changes it is no longer the same (I know this is terribly obvious) but since it is no longer the same there is a part of us that mourns the loss of things as they were. We cannot go back. We cannot get it back. We have lost it.

Mourning the loss of things that change is an important process in coming to grips with the fact that things have changed. We sometimes watch a video from several years back, or click through pictures from a time gone by and we think of what it was like. We feel sad that those times have come and gone. In those moments we are experiencing a kind of mourning. Change has taken place and we feel a sense of loss.

Life is change. And so if we live long enough we will experience the loss of change and the need to mourn that change. The scripture reminds us that God does not shield us from experiencing these sometimes difficult times in our lives or the emotions that go with them. Intimacy with Jesus does not exempt or insulate us from the hurt of change even when it is not our choice. Intimacy with Christ tells us that no matter what the changes that come our way, no matter what the loss is that we feel; the veil between our world and His is never closed. He is as close as the mention of his name.

The Ancient Celts were close. They believed they had access to the "otherworld" twice a year, around the Spring and Autumn Equinox. What we know is that through Christ we have access to the "otherworld" by simply calling His name. Even though the pain of loss does not go away, somehow knowing that someone is there makes it a little more bearable.

Just a thought...